What MaQes A Chopper

[USAFSP]

CitizenQ, I don't know if you are insane, brilliant or both. I feel like I need to ask you a question. Your question was normal, the Q thing doesn't bother me but I wonder why that letter? Is there a Q in your real name? Do you make lamp shades out of childrens skin or are you into physics? To try to keep on subject I will nominate any of the larger Busse/Swamp Rats. They seem to have good steel for that type of cut. So what do you plan to cut? That also has alot to do with what kind of steel you will want. I prefer 1095 and W2 for chopping. Good luck and let us know what you decide to get.

 

[Rat Finkenstein]

Thanks, Q.

As far as big choppers go, you might also consider the upcoming Fusion Battle Mistress from Busse. It might be a bit over the $400 limit, but I have the feeling it will outdo even my revered Rat Daddy in the chopping department.

 

[cgd160]

One thing that has to be Qonsidered (Sorry I couldn't resist ) is handle comfort, the best chopper in the world is useless if it beats up your hands. That's one reason I prefer a large full tang with slabs, I can shape it to fit my hands.

DaveH, sorry to get pi$$y, I don't know what bug crawled up my butt.

 

[CitizenQ]

CitizenQ, I don't know if you are insane, brilliant or both. I feel like I need to ask you a question. Your question was normal, the Q thing doesn't bother me but I wonder why that letter? Is there a Q in your real name?...

Itsa long story and it's not very interesting USAFSP. It has to do with Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus, who said "To be turned from one's course by men's opinions, by blame, and by misrepresentation shows a man unfit to hold an office."

Geez louise...that's what just happened to me here! Good thing I'm not in line for Emperor of The Internet or sumptin', huh!

 

[Cliff Stamp]

As a note, havings friends with OCD as well as touretts, being upset at someone or critizing them because of such behavior is wrong on many levels. Of course if you are just doing it to look cool or stand out it is different but people do many things for that. His spelling in any case is still better than mine. I never even noticed it. Giving a new user the benefit of the doubt might be the better action in general and dropping an email and discussing it off forum and not running the thread off topic.

The new Fusion Battle Mistress should be a nice chopping blade, hopefully the Scrap Yard line will offer a similar sized blade. In regards to size though, seven inch blades can be decently powerful choppers, most of them are just made light with really poor balances for that and thus common impressions of them are often mislead. A seven inch blade will have about 75% of the chopping ability of a ten inch one of similar profile, and the chopping power of those in the right hands is pretty extreme, see the 2x4 times for the ABS guys for example. I tend to prefer longer blades more for reach than the power. A 12" blade is just much easier to use for clearing brush than a 7" one.

-Cliff

 

[USAFSP]

Itsa long story and it's not very interesting USAFSP. It has to do with Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus, who said "To be turned from one's course by men's opinions, by blame, and by misrepresentation shows a man unfit to hold an office."

Geez louise...that's what just happened to me here! Good thing I'm not in line for Emperor of The Internet or sumptin', huh!

Q I think you are alright. I think we can always use a fresh new person who is a bit left of center. Some may have said it was annoying, but I think your posting is fun to read. Not really the Q stuff, because that doesn't make you who you are, but your views are different and interesting. It's also pretty cool to see others sweat because they don't like it. So, you still havn't said what you plan on chopping. I am still wondering? You just wanna go outside an start chopping? That may get scary.

 

[CitizenQ]

Q I think you are alright...So, you still havn't said what you plan on chopping. I am still wondering? You just wanna go outside an start chopping? That may get scary.

Thanks USAFSP...unless the SHTF my bet is that I'm gonna be an armchair chopper...a chopper wannabe if you will...kinda like the security guard who wanted to be a cop but couldn't cut it...so he sits in his barcalounger...watching CSI...fondling his gun...wishing. I live in Suburbopolis brother! And there ain't much left to chop here, unless one does a Chuck Whitman, but with a blade. Just kidding of course...Q's too old to climb very high.

Seriously though, I want to be ready brother. I want to be prepared and a high-quality chopper is IMHO an important preparation. I don't need to be a world-class chopper, but I feel a need to understand knives better. Like firearms...I don't need to be a marksman, but I do need to know how to load, fire, clean, and handle them safely so if I need them I will be ready.

There are men "out there"...guys who work and recreate in the wild...working...hunting...chopping...I admire you greatly and I tip my hat to ya'll I do.

 

[Rat Finkenstein]

you can always buy bundles of firewood from a gas station, or some 2x4's to practice chopping

 

[USAFSP]

you can always buy bundles of firewood from a gas station, or some 2x4's to practice chopping

That is a geat idea Q. You can always go that way.

 

[Quiet Storm]

Alright, now that we got this "Q" issue out of the way, I'll try my hands at a serious reply. In reference to my previous post: no, I don't really claim that this is "excellent information", but merely a few thoughts and experiences on the matter.

I prefer convex grinds for chopping, they're much tougher than a comparably thick flat ground edge. Also, the convex profile splits wood a bit like an axe.
If you ask me, some kind of tough carbon steel (SR-101, 0170-6, 52100, 1095...) is a must for this application, preferably with a differential heat treat.

If you want a blade that chops well but can easily tackle other tasks as well, get one with a longer handle and/or a choil, so can choke up on it for more delicate tasks that don't require the leverage of a big blade. It definitely needs a lanyard hole. The main grind should be flat - the most utilitarian option IMO.
As far as coatings are concerned - if you don't plan on using the knife under extremely adverse weather conditions, you don't need one. If you choose a stainless steel you don't really need any coating at all, regardless of climate. If you opt for a coated blade, a crinkle coating (like the one Busse and Swamp Rat use) is advisable as it doesn't scratch as easily as a smooth one. It will smooth out with use before bare steel is exposed. However, it also slightly increases friction, so the knife won't cut as effortlessly as one with, say, a smooth Teflon surface. No coating will last forever, and after enough heavy chopping, even with a very sturdy coating the knife won't exactly look like a collector's item anymore, if that is important to you.

By now you might be able to guess that I like Swamp Rats for chopping.

...unless the SHTF my bet is that I'm gonna be an armchair chopper...a chopper wannabe if you will...kinda like the security guard who wanted to be a cop but couldn't cut it...so he sits in his barcalounger...watching CSI...fondling his gun...wishing.

We call them mall ninjas around these parts. Read this for a laugh.

 

[EDCeeker]

Gee, CitizenQ, you sound Qinda liQe me!

So, mainly what you're looking for is SHTF stuff. Well, I figure if the S really does HTF, I'm likely as not toast in short order anyway, but I figure it doesn't hurt to think about it a little and to plan for the "just in case" of it. If nothing else, it's an interesting distraction from life's real challenges .

If the SHTF and I needed to get outta Dodge right quick and live off the land for an extended period, what would I want with me in the way of edged tools? Keeping in mind I couldn't bring an entire case full of cutlery, I think I'd need a tool or tools in order to get at least crude things done with wood, something to skin/gut/dress wild game (which I don't know how to do anyway), and something "general purpose."

Ideally, I'd have a small axe, a small pull saw, a 4-1/2" to 6" belt-knife for game, and a capable folder. The 2nd and 3rd can be combined in the SOG Revolution, I figure.

So, in my knife knoobiness, I don't see the point to large choppers, other than for clearing brush--for which a machete would be better-suited anyway. When thinking of reducing my kit to the absolute minimum, that strikes me as pretty low on the list of priorities. (N.B.: This is based on the nature of the terrain and vegetation in my area. If I lived in or near the equator, perhaps my equation would come out differently.)

If I had to reduce my kit to a single edged tool, then I think it would either be the SOG Revolution or a 7" chopper.

Am I missing something?

 

[Cliff Stamp]

So, in my knife knoobiness, I don't see the point to large choppers ...

They are a old design, bowies are new, but bowies are just small parangs, and there are many variants on that basic design, golok, bolo, borang, etc. . Axes work better on thicker woods, machetes are as good at ligher work, a small blade is better for precision cutting. A long blade just attempts to combine all aspects into one functional profile. Most people who tend to critize such knives have never actually used one with the right balance and profile for them. I can't imagine anyone using a long blade by Fikes or similar even for a short time and not appreciating the utility.

-Cliff

 

[EDCeeker]

Most people who tend to critize such knives have never actually used one with the right balance and profile for them. I can't imagine anyone using a long blade by Fikes or similar even for a short time and not appreciating the utility.

Far be it from me to criticize something I haven't tried. And I certainly don't have the experience to state much of anything authoritatively. Hell, until I started reading your detailed knife evaluations, it would've never occurred to me to baton a knife to split wood!

So, from the set of: chopper, axe, 4-1/2" to 6" knife, small saw, pocket knife, what compliment would you choose, and why? You don't get to have 'em all

 

[TantoHead]

I'll quickly quote my answer to the question...

I like my swamp rat battle rat for smallish diameter branch wacking and fairly dry softwoods, I use it a lot because of aesthetics and take it camping, it just looks cooler than my others, I have a beater Ontario RTAK that I chop softish woods and brush with and like it because I can get some speed on it but the edge is pretty thin...sadly, my best chopper is a super cheap machete I once confiscated off a young thug in my former career, and it's the one I use for hardcore cleanup. For chopping wood for firewood, well, I use a maul.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

For brush a long blade is pretty much optimal and they allow you to make wood based shelters very quickly you don't need or want to cut large wood there, and using an full size axe on a 2" sapling is fairly inefficient. Many longer blades tend to be heavy and awkward but they don't have to be, the Valiant Goloks are a decent example of a fairly inexpensive long blade with a really nice profile and balance.

Those goloks work as well as a machete on light vegetation and cuts thicker wood very well also. Generally I don't have much use for an axe outside of actually felling wood to burn in the winter for a wood stove. But I would not use that size of wood outside for fuel, there are too many risks involved and there is usually little actual practical use. I would generally take a long blade and a small one, but not be overally concerned with not having the smaller one.

If I had to pick between an axe or 6" blade or saw I would take the axe, and a semi-small one like the Bruks small forest which I could use readily with one hand but was still large enough to benefit from two hands.

-Cliff

 

[The_Knife_Edge]

The Q thing is, to put it another way, "very happy," if you get my meaning.

 

[CitizenQ]

The Q thing is, to put it another way, "very happy," if you get my meaning.

Sorry to disappoint you pal, but not me. But hey...don't give up! Keep searching and I'm sure sooner or later you'll find some guy to fullfill your little secret.

 

[The_Knife_Edge]

Thanks for the tip, my "man??"

 

[Halfneck]

I don't mind the Q thing. Too many english-speaking posters here can't even spell in their native language. The fact that he held his ground under criticism, and fired back, showed some class to me. So welcome to BF Citizen Q.

As for choppers, I like Kuhkris and Goloks. I have found carbon steel to perform better than stainless. Then again, several other posters have already offered better and more detailed advice. Just wanted to throw my 2 cents in.

 

[dantzk8]

Exact specifics on the shape will depend on the user and wood type, soft wood (convex grinds) vs hard wood (hollow grinds)
-Cliff

Cliff,

Would you say a flat grind could be a good compromise between convex and hollow?

Citizen (Q?)

Be welcome, first thread good thread and yet the replies of misters Talmadge and Stamp. Congrats.

dantzk.